Individually operated door for hopper cars



1953 o. INGRAM 2,638,061

INDIVIDUALLY OPERATED DOOR FOR HOPPER CARS Filed May 25, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l awe/Mm O. INGRAM INDIVIDUALLY OPERATED DOOR -F-,OR HOPPER CARS Filed May 25, 1949 May 12, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 a; ATTORNE 1N VENTOR ORV/41E /NGR,4M,

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 720 ATTORNEYS O. INGRAM INDIVIDUALLY OPERATED DOOR FOR HOPPER CARS May 12, 1953 Flled May 25, 1949 and their housing.

Patented May 12, 1953 INDIVIDUALLY OPERATED DOOR FOR HOPPER CARS Orville Ingram, Washington, D. (3., assignor to Unitcast Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, at corporation of Ohio Application May 25, 1949, Serial No. 95,362

1 My invention relates to railway hopper cars and more particularly to individually operated doors for such cars.

1 One of the principal objects of the invention is to prevent such a door from sagging on its hinge pins.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and reliable means for forcing the door to a fully closed position.

Another object is to provide simple and reliable means for freeing the door from engagement with its supporting hook.

A primary feature of the invention consists in having a portion of the reinforcing member which is secured to the outer face of the door project inwardly and engage the housing for the door supporting hooks so as to prevent the door from sagging.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing a door supporting hook with a recess in its outer end for receiving a pry bar to, force the door from partially closed to fully closed position.

A further feature of the invention consists in providing the reinforcing member secured to the outer face of the door with a flange extending outwardly therefrom, the flange having upstanding means affording an abutment for alever to pry a door supporting hook from engagement with the door. Other and more specific features of the invention, residing in advantageous forms, combinations and relations of parts, will hereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a face view of a portion of the door when in fully closed position.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1. i Figure 3 is an enlarged view partly in section and partly in elevation of the door supporting hooks. Figure 4 is a detail sectional view at the inner ends of the hooks. I I

Figure 5 is a sectional view through the hooks Figure 6 is a sectional view ends of the hooks.

Figure 7 is a transverse cross sectional view of through the outer the hook housing and the associated door shoW- ing the hook l2 in engaging position.

Figure 8 is a similar cross sectionalview of Figure '7 showing the door in locked position. In the drawings, l represents an individually operated door which is hingedly mounted 6 Claims. (01. 105-308) along its upper edge (not shown) by hinge brackets 2. The door is of conventional shape having inwardly extending flanges 3 which, when the door is in closed position, are disposed in overlapping relation with a member 4 which extends around three sides of the hopper, the member extending beyond the forward edge of the floor or slope sheet 5 of the hopper to define the opening through which lading discharges from the hopper. Where this member extends beneath the floor sheet of the hopper, it is of angle shape having an outwardly extending flange 6 similar to the member which extends on the sides of the hopper and a downwardly extending flange I for connection to an angle member 8 which is rigidly connected to the floor sheet of an adjoining hopper to tie the hoppers together.

Secured to the outer face of the door is a reinforcing member 9 having an outwardly projecting flange Ill. The outer face of the reinforcing member affords a surface which is engageable by door supporting hooks II and i2 projecting through matched openings in the door and in the reinforcing member. The hook II is adapted to support the door in fully closed position, while the hook I2 is adapted to sup- .port the door in a partially closed position. 1

Both hooks are pivotally mounted within a housing [3 which is secured to the floor sheet 5 of the hopper. The top wall of the housing is preferably formed by downwardly diverging portions I 4 so that lading within the hopper will be shed onto opposite sides of the housing to discharge from the hopper when the door is open.

Rigid with the reinforcing plate and extending inwardly therefrom through the door itself is a flange 15 which projects into the mouth of the housing l3. This flange may be conveniently formed as a marginal flange of. the opening in the reinforcing member and, by

having the lower portion thereof project into and is adapted to overlappingly engage, the upperedge of the hook l2ufor supporting thedoor in partially closed position. It is apparent, therefore, that when the hook H is moved downwardly the hook 12 must move correspondingly and it cannot move upwardly until the hook H is free from engagement with the door. Hook ll may be advantageously locked in closed positiori by a cam orthe like ,iflwhichiis "rotatably-"mounted on a rivet 19 between an'outer face plate 20 and the reinforcing member 9.

In view of the manner in which the portion in overlaps the hook l2, it will, ot course, Joe,,,appreciated that so long as the cam is in engagement with the portion I! of hook H both" hooks are prevented from moving: upwardly.

At their inner ends, the' 'hooks' 'may beaconveniently mounted upon a sleeve 2| which is supported by a rivet 22. While tharivet 22 may be suflicient to support the pivoted ends of the hooks, each of them may be advantageously provided with a lug or the like 23, the outer .sisur face' ofrwhioh isuconcentricxwith the pivotal Maxis bf tl'l hODki andiaisi adapted toiengage the -fi'oor sheetaS.iilrrvthisimanner, the? rivet and i'-\sleeve-' 2 lliare: relieved from all strains incident .supporting; theiaripivotedv :ends' 'ofzathevhOQKS. It wilL-fofi course;- beappreciated that the-hooks ara pivota'lly i-associated with the housing 1| 3' bedor'e thezthousing' is secured to :the floor sheet 5.

" Theiouterssend:ofxhook:12 is, formed with are- SS QGiLfOE- receivinga pryi bar. 'Ihe'v inner wall bf the recess adjacent thenoutermost' end :of Y the aflhookt is: preferably; inclined, as indicatedat- 5, se thatl ailpry bar may .be readily insertedthere- 5in.

Extending outwardlyi irom' the face plate 28 -'ail ng- .01 theiilikezflfizwhich, affords; an, abutment'itor-Ithe 1pry.;bar. so=tthat; wheniorce is applied to the pry bar and goneend=thereof -is' in *i'the recess-v24frthe doorisi iorced from partially 1- i los'edrto. fully closed positionz to thereby: enable hook; ll I to supportitheydoor.

A--'p-ry bar mayvlalso'. bel-used toimove' the hooks into inoperative positions. E'or this; purpose, aithez hookediaend bf :shookz l2 gforgl supporting the 'door -in partially ICIOSEdIiPOSitiOIIiiS formed with;

a a recess' '21 to receive lanilr'endzl of :zthe, pry; bar. 'l'l hevreihiorcing memberz 9. is ialso provided; with l a Iug oFeprojectiori 2 8 ..which:extends'upwardly '='j from -the-outwar'dly projecting: flange .1! (hand affords an abutmentiror. arpry ttomove the hooks. into iinoperativel:positions. 'i Even -thoughz an. unlocking iorcesis only exerted -onbhook l2,-- upward" movementi by it'iwill -be titransmitted to hook: "I I:through" thei'lportion i i i t the hookl I which oyrlappinglyrengageslthe p l ,secured-toithe floor ot ithe hopperlin which {said upper portion of hook l2. A pry bar agiszshown cin 'Figure. 1 sinlthe, position .1 it .coccupiesiwhen it first :engages hook 12 andlthe' same vapry bar is shownarin a azzsubstantiallyi: horizontal? position waiterithexd'oorxhas been uz'andxthezlatten. are supported :in an elevatedin- *noperativezposition.

s'iAapry: harazdesignatem b is :shown tin Eigurei 3 gioriizforcingz: the adoori :tov fullyLB-closed:position. itWhenitheL-pry. bar is; firstxinsentedgimthe QI'GGQSS 24 in the hook l2, it will probably .oecupy.;:a tssomewhat:inolinedaposition as {ShOWllI in Figure if 3izbutpafter;ibeinguonce :inserted; the trainman, tiup'on #applyingl a l force; :to; the; outer: end of the pry lever, will :move it "from .its' inclined: positl'tion into a 81311051131011 where it"1engag.es; :the lug if 2 B so "that theidooromay; ibe :ithen ziorceda to 11113; nEolosedposition.

It=f-isz1obvious:-1that; :various: changes may'ube iii-madel irrLtheEembodimentwf: lthe; inventiomiibapilwhen itsisnusedj freeditem :the hooks 4 lustrated without departing from the scope of the appended claims. What I claim is: 1. An individually operated door for a railway hopper car comprising a pair of pivotally mounted hooks for respectively supporting the door'a -in partia lly closedfiarid fullsr closed positions, a housingsecured-sto thetflooriof the hopper in which said hooks are pivotally mounted,

,gand a plate-like member secured to the outer faoeuof the door having an opening through "which saidhooks project, said member having a portion projecting inwardly adjacent said .iopeningN-and engaging said housing when the 15': doori isf clps ed'for partially supporting the door thereon.

2 1m individually operated door for a railway hopper car comprising a pivoted door having ari opening therethrough and provided with a plate-like reinforcing member on its outer ,,:face-,. a pair .of piyotazlly -mounted hooks for: rez spectively supporting the ::.do ,or in partially closed and in fully ClOSdqlJOSltiQIlS a; housing secured tosthe-,floor.of the-lhoppertin w-hi ch said hooks-areipivotally movable-sanopenin said plate member matching the opening in the door :r'throughi which said=hooks "-project, .and-ta f lange surrounding; theeppeningf ,in nsaidpla-te member projecting inwardly, intu /engagement;with the inner; walls, of :saidizhousing.

3.: An individually operated;;doo for arerailway hopper car comp-rising, a.apivoted:';doo1r- -havj ng-nan ,opjeni-ng- .therethrough; a}- plate-like -reinforcing membjer secu-red -to:the:.outer :ffiCG'qOf the doorand havingean opening; thereinomatehi'ng w the 1.: l1w l in :thewdoor, a pair of pivotally mounted;hooks, extending throughasaidwpenings respectively having ledges engageable with;qthe

\ outer iace -ofl :said; member Jor supporting, the

door impartially: QIQSQdyBzHd, intully lclo'sed pw sitions,a housingasecured to gthe -fi rof the hopper-infwhichsaid hopksare pivotally rnountu re mi ne th pen n p sa l t t-mp5 t nei hm i ed, and an inwardly extending marginal'fl h l -Ope in neeidlde into engagemenm ;w'ith ;the, inner walls of said W h PBI-P em is n w ,50

. a plateelikei reinfor oing member tonv r u ine x 4;, in iv ua ?o e ate doo o ing an opening thereth rough,{andlprovided ith niace bnmegut a rp'air of piyotally -mounted ha ks e e di rmis nse pe n i ne i e s ppo tin :at e

d sreclosed and in fully closed posi-tions hooks are ,pivotally rnovable said ,hooksrproimin thi Qik hd fifi fih oqrtonw s hooks being formed adjacent its outerend with ews o ec vin 1, a- -be eqniha -th s elect n fi e-u rih -9u in ai e a 4 9,

closed position and means on said member roengagement with a portion '9 aid hopper when 65 theqdoor ;is in fully; ,closedapos tion; for partially 5:plosede ndwi eir ya qlpse lositi ns; ai h u n secured to the floor of the hopper, said hooks projecting through the body of the door in which said hooks are pivotally movable, the hook for supporting the door in partially closed position having a recess in its outer end for receiving a pry bar, and means projecting outwardly from the door affording an abutment for the pry bar when it is inserted in said re cess to force the door from partially closed to fully closed position.

6. An individually operated door for a railway hopper car comprising a pivoted door, a pair of pivotally mounted hooks for respectively supporting the door in partially closed and in fully closed positions, a reinforcing member secured to the outer face of the door and having an opening therein matching with an opening in the body of the door through which said hooks project, said reinforcing member having an outwardly projecting flange, means rigid with said flange affording an abutment for a lever to act on one of the hooks, and means for causing said one hook on action thereon of said lever to move said other hook and temporarily elevate both hooks out of the way of said door.

ORVILLE INGRAM.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,486,232 Cremean Mar. 11, 1924 1,861,152 Campbell May 31,, 1932 1,867,789 Wine et a1. July 19, 1932 

